The present invention is concerned with armor technology and, more specifically, to armor systems having the capability to protect against multiple-hit ballistic threats.
Certainly, numerous types of armor systems have been proposed in the art to protect against ballistic impacts. Typically, these systems differ with respect to the materials employed or the configuration/orientation of the materials. Each armor system is typically designed for a particular application. For instance, body armor has certain constraints to assure that the overall system is reasonably lightweight. On the other hand, armor designed for use on vehicles tends to be more robust and heavy duty. Many types of armor systems are designed to protect against a single impact from a projectile. That is, the armor is configured to prevent piercing by an initial projectile, but the impact would result in a certain amount of acceptable damage such that the armor could not be assured of protecting against a subsequent impact, particularly a subsequent impact in a region of the armor substantially close to the initial impact zone. Therefore, there is a need in the art for an armor system that protects against impacts from multiple projectiles.